If you’re somehow unfamiliar, the Raptor family (The F-150, Bronco, and Ranger) takes the concept of off-road-ready trucks and SUVs to the next level. Instead of solely setting sights on ground clearance, the Raptor family draws inspiration from Baja racing. They’re meant to go off-road, and they’re meant to do it fast. For that reason, I genuinely believe the Ranger Raptor is the best of the best throughout the entirety of the Raptor’s history.
Ford was kind enough to send a 2024 Ranger Raptor my way for a week. Naturally, I wasted no time getting it off-road. I live out in the desert east of Los Angeles. So, there’s no shortage of available off-road terrain to explore. From wide-open dry lake beds to tight and twisting trails and rally-ready dirt roads to steep climbing trails, virtually every discipline of off-road driving is applicable around here. I blasted the ranger around the trails, coasted across the tops of lakebeds at high speeds, plowed through deep mud, and crawled through loose sand and over steep breakovers. The Ranger Raptor handled it all with unparalleled grace and comfort.
What Makes the Ranger Raptor The Best?
If you read that last paragraph and thought, “That’s true of any of the Raptors,” you’d be correct. After all, the Bronco, F-150, and Ranger all have Fox live-valve suspension, big all-terrain tires, and turbocharged Ecoboost powerplants with more than enough zest to get them moving. However, the Ranger being the “baby brother” is, in my opinion, what makes it the best.
For one, the Ranger Raptor’s smaller footprint (in length and width) allows it to fit through narrower passageways. I have also had the privilege of spending a week with a Bronco Raptor, and it was phenomenal, but it is also unbelievably vast. The same can be said of the F-150. The overall “bite-size” in comparison makes the usability of the Ranger Raptor far more versatile, and its lighter weight truly gives you the feeling of being a Baja 1000 competitor as you whip it around in the dirt.
The smaller stature goes a long way in the world of power-to-weight ratio. The Ranger Raptor comes in at a health 400 pounds lighter than the Bronco Raptor and nearly 550 pounds lighter than the F-150 Raptor. However, it still comes with a potent 405 horsepower. That’s only 13 fewer horsepower than the Bronco Raptor. However, the F-150 puts a more substantial gap in horsepower between it and the Ranger at 45.
Smallest Price with the Biggest Performance?
Finally, the Ranger Raptor’s most prominent advantage over its bigger siblings is its comparatively punitive price tag. With a starting price of $55,620, it’s certainly not the most affordable thing on the market. However, it seems beyond reasonable compared to the F-150 and Bronco’s respective MSRPs of $78,440 and $90,035. At nearly half the price of the Bronco Raptor, it’s remarkable that you get almost the same level of performance.
Ultimately, there’s a chance I’m bringing a subconscious level of “I can’t afford the other two” bias to the table. That said, I can assure you of one thing. The week I spent blitzing around in the Ranger Raptor put a smile on my face that I couldn’t put a price on. Sure, you’re sacrificing a bit of practicality in things like cargo space and towing capacity as you would with any smaller truck. I can safely say that a truckload of stuff or a trailer would have ruined my adventure time. If you want a Raptor to use for Raptor stuff, the Ranger is, in my opinion, the best decision you could make.
Photos by Shane Harris
